Description: In view of the impending substitution of omnibuses for trolley buses, it has occurred to me that employees who have been constantly concerned with the operation and maintenance of Trolley Buses since services were commenced in 1931/3 may care to have this small memento.
There is history in the photograph insomuch that the inauguration of a comparatively fast inter-urban double deck Trolley Bus service in 1933 revealed unexpected weaknesses in the design of Trolley Buses of that day, and it is undoubtedly true to say that the experience gained by the Company over the first few years contributed in no small measure to the marked improvement in design which are incorporated in the new vehicles show on the left of the picture.
The new vehicles where placed in service on 1st May 1949, and the photograph was taken a few minutes before they left the garage on that day.
The total mileage operated by the double deck vehicles on the right, which opened the Ripley=Nottingham service 15.04 miles long, on 5th October, 1933, was 10,287,482 miles, the average being 685.832 miles per vehicle. These figures were exceptionally high for trolley buses and are probably a record.
Information from W.Williamen General Manager of Midland General.